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Holidays in India: Visit These Vintage Car Museums!

India is home to several well-maintained vintage car museums which are full of rare Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Lincolns, Cadillacs, Pontiacs and other classics. These cars were used by the royal families, the Maharajas, Nizams, British officers and Bollywood superstars.

Here is a list of five vintage car museums you should definitely visit when you are next holidaying in India.

Classic and Vintage Car Collection – Udaipur, Rajasthan

There can’t be a better place for a museum of vintage cars driven by the Indian Maharajas than a royal palace, and the Classic and Vintage Car Collection in Udaipur is just that! Opened for visitors in the year 2000, this museum is home to cars used by the kings of Mewar. The exotic car collection here includes cars dating back to the 1920’s. The popular ones include a rare 1946 Buick, a 1938 Cadillac, a 1925 Rolls Royce and a 1959 Morris Minor.

Ashvek Vintage World – Goa

A rare two-engine Vandall Tempo, a 1931 Peugeot, a 1939 Mercedes 170, a 1948 Chevrolet Fleet Master along with a couple of other brilliantly maintained vintage beauties await classic car enthusiasts at the Ashvek Vintage World in Goa. Many of these vintage cars have been used in a number of Bollywood movies. Situated in Salcete, Goa, the museum also organizes vintage car rallies in the country. The Vidal Tempo of 1936 showcased here has actually been sourced from the royal family of Sawantwadi.

Heritage Transport Museum – Gurugram, Haryana

Located at a distance of approximately 53 miles from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, the Heritage Transport Museum in Gurgaon has a splendid collection of 75 vintage cars, a restored 1930s BBCI Railway Station, vintage motorcycles and rare trucks. The impressively recreated Indian street scene and vintage petrol pump scene will take you back to the yesteryears. You can also watch films based on the evolution of transportation in India at the museum’s auditorium.

Chowmahalla Palace – Hyderabad

The Chowmahalla Palace Vintage Cars Gallery consists of the classy automobile driven by the Nizam family of Hyderabad. The list of vintage cars on display at the Chowmalla Palace includes a 1912 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, a Fiat limousine, a Napier, a Packard touring sedan, a Wolseley and more. Don’t miss the Hyderabad’s Nizam family’s Insignia engraved on all the vintage cars.

Manjusha Museum – Karnataka

Located at a distance of 47 miles from Mangalore, the Manjusha Museum in Karnataka is a treat for the classic car enthusiasts. The list of vintage cars on display here include a 1936 Adler, a 1926 Mercedes Benz, a 1931 Fiat, a 1947 Frazer, a 1947 Ford Jeep, a 1930 Morris-Oxford, a 1924 Rolls Royce, a 1929 Vauxhall and more. Photography inside the museum is not allowed, however you can buy a booklet that explains most all about the classics on display.